I’ve come home drenched from my last half-dozen hikes, and it’s only getting hotter with the Dog Days of August just around the bend, so I might as well revisit the sweaty realities of summer on the trail.
Jeff at Mid South Hiking posted the most vital details this morning: keeping plenty of water in your body. That’s a good intro, to which I’ll add the following:
1) Take ice if you have it
I noticed on a balmy hike a few summers back that a sip of cool water seems to cool me down before I even swallow it (see, we’re just like dogs, only less loyal). Most hikers in warm climes know you can pack your hydration bladder with ice cubes; I have a couple refinements:
- Filling your hydration bladder with icy water has two pitfalls: condensation drenches everything and the ice melts by the time you drive to the trail. My fix: wrap the bladder in a hand towel, which soaks up the sweat, then wrap the towel/bladder combo in my self-inflating sit-pad, which keeps my water cold all day.
- Large chunks of ice stay frozen much longer. The trick is to find something you can freeze the water in that’ll make large cubes that’ll still fit into your hydration bladder. I wouldn’t advise pouring a bunch of water into your hydration bladder and freezing it overnight — it might work once or twice but if it weakens the plastic, you could have a messy disaster on your hands.
2) Stay in the shade, silly
Sounds obvious, I know, but sometimes in the heat of planning a hike to some way-cool locale, you might overlook the small detail that the majority of the mileage goes over ridge lines exposed to the blazing sun.
Save the sprawling vistas for when the weather’s cooler. Forests are way-cool in the summer. especially if you’re into redwoods or mushrooms.
3) Think about hiking at night
Lack of daylight adds immense complexity to a hike, and massive potential for encounters with nocturnal creatures (remember: skunks are nocturnal; as are bears).
Don’t just barge into the woods with your headlamp on: find local hiking groups that lead “full-moon” outings. While I’m the first to urge folks to get out of their comfort zone and hike solo during the day, I’m much more circumspect about soloing after dark. (More tips at Sgt. Rock’s Hiking HQ).
4) Keep your shirt on, dammit
Avoid the temptation to show off your fabulous pecs — leaving your shirt on will trap moisture near your skin, allowing the breeze to lavish the benefits of evaporative cooling on your body’s core.
Trapping moisture in your shirt is kind of like banking the water in your bottle: it stays with you in the form of sweat much longer. Going shirtless dries you out much quicker.
I used to think it might help to wear cotton shirts in the summer because cotton fabric stays wet so much longer; lately, though, I’ve noticed that once a polypro shirt like a Patagonia Capilene T wets out, it still holds moisture as long as you’re producing it.
(If you’re backpacking and hoping to keep your clothes dry, you’ll have to adjust a bit).
Go on easier hikes
Heat saps your strength, and exhaustion takes all the fun out of a hike. If you’re usually game for 2,000 feet of elevation gain in three miles, cut it to 1,000 in the depth of summer. And cut your eight-milers to six.
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What are your tips for cooling it on the trail? Add a comment and share with the whole class.
Related: First impressions on hiking in North Carolina.
Good tips. I also like to bring a bandana and soak it in cold water and drape on my head if necessary.
I’m a big guy, so I tend to start sweating when I bend to tie my boots. Still, I like to do 10+ mile hikes in the summer (when vacation allows). The advice above is great. I’d add the following, which have worked for me:
1. I carry 3-4 liters of fluid, but I also try to make sure my long hikes go past one or more water sources. If it’s a backcountry hut, great. It’s easy to refill. But I also carry a bottle purification system. Mine’s made by Katadyn, and it’s easy to use on-trail. I’m more likely to drink all the water I carry if I know I can refill safely.
2. I change my socks, and sometimes my shirt, at the summit. Again, I sweat a lot, and wet or damp socks can lead to blisters. A fresh pair feels great at the halfway point.
3. I don’t really hike at night but on hot days I like to start very early. That way, by the time the day heats up, I’m at a higher elevation where it’s cooler and the trees aren’t blocking the breeze.
4. I take a lot of breaks on the steeper pitches, even if they last only 30 seconds. I don’t overheat and I make up any time lost later in the day, when I seem to have more energy left.
Thanks for the tips, I knew there were many I was forgetting.
At some point I’m going to look in to adding those electrolyte tablets. Anybody have any experience with them?
I sweat a freakish amount, I dont know why but I do. So when I am out hiking I don’t really get overheated because the sweat is doing the work.
My problem then is replacing the lost liquid and salt. So I tend to drink about 3 ltrs per hike. Unless I can refill then I will drink ppfff I don’t know, 5 ltrs.
I then just eat salty foods for dinner to avoid cramps, and take packets of crisps on the hike.
To get back on my point, a nice cold drink( my hydration bladder seems to keep very cold in my rucksack, you just have to drink the warm water from the tube.) and some Buffs do the trick for me.
http://www.buffshop.co.uk/?gclid=CIq8nNHDkqoCFUFC4QodoWE2yw
In the summer our biggest thing is to get out early enough to hike before the heat of the day sets in. Another good tip is to find a trail that has a good swimming hole so you can take a dip to cool off if you so desired.
I’d also like to point out I very rarely experience hiking in heat over 26 degrees Celsius living in Wales.
However when I did the 2007 Nijmegen Marches in the Netherlands, wooow that was hot. It wasn’t hiking but it was walking 26 miles a day for four days in heat up to 36 degrees Celsius with little shade.
Living in South Texas, I deal with a lot of hot days. I don’t hike in July and August and maybe September for sure. Unless it’s January, I’m not going to see a lot of really cold weather. Most places will not have water and the creeks are dried up in the summer. The solution to the heat is carry a lot of water. To stay cool, I use a wet bandana over my head and neck with a good hat. I will also get up early and hike in the morning. I try and never hike after 1pm. If I’m lucky and there is a small lake or pond, I use a water filter/purifier.